PICTURE PERFECT
Art and airiness come together in this light, bright MidLevels apartment that is a trove of memories with a modern aesthetic
滿載現代美學和真摯回憶的半山宅舍彰顯柔和自然的藝術氣派
As is so often the case in Hong Kong, Melanie McLaren and her husband, James, spent every weekend for months looking for the right rental apartment. But when they saw their current abode on Old Peak Road, they knew that is was just right. “It was the perfect location. We can walk to Central, but also to the Zoological and Botanical Gardens, and straight up The Peak from outside the door.”
Aside from that, the four-bedroom duplex offered ample space for what was then a growing family – and they were given the opportunity to make it somewhat their own, which is not always the case when renting. “The flat was overstuffed with furniture and had dark walls in the main living areas,” says Melanie. “The master bedroom was also wallpapered entirely with a pattern of giant dogs.”
Things have certainly changed. “We were fortunate that the owners agreed to renovate to a high standard. We have a lot of art and were keen for the walls in particular to be a blank canvas.”
Art has long played a role in the lives of both Melanie and James. Highlights in the couple’s collection include a bronze sculpture by Giancarlo Tramontin, which stands on the windowsill in the master bedroom upstairs, and a wooden camel picked up on honeymoon in South Africa.
The 3,700sqft flat spans two floors with a study, kitchen, bathroom, laundry and living/dining area downstairs, and four bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well as a storage room upstairs. An open staircase lends the apartment a lovely feeling of space, further accentuated by the beautiful curved windows both downstairs and up.
在香港，人們不時會花上數月尋找合適的住所。對Melanie McLaren和丈夫James來說，這個情況也絕不例外。當他們遇到位於舊山頂道的家居時，實在喜出望外。「這裡地理位置絕佳。我們可以沿路走到中環和動植物公園，而山頂更離家僅數步之遙。」這寬敞開揚的四房複式單位也給予夫婦兩人更大的自由度，為生活空間注入個人特色和創意，成就專屬的溫馨小天地。
Melanie分享她對室內裝潢的第一印象：「原來的環境非常密集，每個角落都被傢具填滿。主要區域均被漆黑昏暗的牆壁環繞，主人睡房的牆面上更有巨型狗隻的圖案裝飾。」
當然，改變原有的設計十分重要。「屋主讓我們隨意自行翻新實在幸運。同時，我們備有一系列不同的藝術品，與淡色背景也特別相襯。」藝術一直在Melanie和James身上扮演著重要的角色，從世界各地搜羅而來的藝術品正是絕佳例子。James特別熱愛格羅夫納藝術學院的油氈浮雕版畫，對家中數件收藏珍而重之。由Giancarlo
Aside from the contemporary art, there is a mid-century modern aesthetic throughout, with a mix of vintage furniture collected over the years. The couple have collected pieces while travelling in Australia and the UK, and also have a couple of chairs from Africa. Hong Kong has played a role, too, with vintage European dining chairs and a cocktail trolley, as well as a Matthew Hilton desk, sourced from Lane Crawford, while the wall display cabinet in the sitting area was custom made in a replica of an original piece found by Jing Meng, founder and owner of Hong Kong vintage furniture store Common Room.
While the children – a toddler and a newborn – have their own space, its design is consistent with the rest of the apartment. “For the children’s area we wanted to keep things clean and bright to make it somewhere that they would feel at home, but also with a hint of the look we have across the rest of the flat, so we have tried to include at least one piece of furniture in their spaces which fits the general look of the entire flat,” adds Melanie.
The couple has made the Hong Kong apartment their own, allowing their art to shine alongside a feeling of airiness and space. “I absolutely love the curved windows. They add character and make the house feel incredibly light. They look out onto both green and city views, which I think really capture what is best about Hong Kong.”// Tramontin製作的黃銅雕塑完美點綴著主人房間；造型獨特的木製駱駝裝飾為客廳注入了滿滿生氣。
面積達3,700平方呎的雅居共佔兩層，設置書房、廚房、浴室和洗衣房。跨越連接客廳和飯廳的樓梯後，便到達備有四間睡房、三間浴室和儲物室的上層空間。通透澄明的樓梯走道令視覺效果得以擴闊，優美俐落的弧形窗戶令整個空間的層次全面提升。來自海外和本地的裝飾品也是焦點所在：購自澳洲和英國的作品、來自南非蜜月之旅的椅子、本地的歐洲餐椅和雞尾酒餐車、搜羅自Lane Crawford的Matthew Hilton桌子，配搭香港古董傢具店Common Room創辦人Jing Meng打造的掛牆展示櫃複製品。
當然，專為初生嬰兒和幼童而設的空間也經過精心策劃。Melanie補說：「我們希望以簡約明亮作主導，為小孩準備安適自在的空間。同時，擺放主題相配的傢具裝置能夠加強小孩房與其他地方的連繫性，呈現渾然一體的效果。」
透過別樹一幟的藝術創作和巧思，夫婦兩人成功把香港家居締造為真正的美好家園。「弧形窗戶是我的心水之選。它們既能為家居混入鮮明的性格，也能引入被蔥翠綠林包圍的城市景觀。此外，大型傢具和疏散佈局更適合高挑樓底，展現輕盈靈動的面貌。」//